NightOnEarth
Chieftain
As announced I replayed my previous session trying to benefit from the various advices and to avoid my former mistakes. In fact the result feels much better subjectively.
In detail:
Observations and future plans
In detail:
- After reseaching alpha I interspersed fishing: short term for workboat/fish in Debra Berhan, medium term to allow sailing. It took me only two turns (one net turn), amazing how my tech pace has changed. Next tech was math (4 net turns. In fact it took me six turns due to deficit research) to get something to trade in and to get the research bonus for currency.
- This time my scout cleared the coastline on his way east. Therefore he missed Mansa Musa's scout on t84 and arrived at his borders several turns later. Lymond, this coastline clearing was great advice, see 3) and 8).
- After alpha I avoided to start trading immediately. Neither Surya nor Süley had valuable techs to trade in. As math was completed, I traded it for IW (Süley) and for sailing and masonry (Mansa). The immediate result were foreign trade routes (+2C) for my three oldest cities.
My empire can only have one trade route to a foreign city, right?
I was surprised that only Mansa was willing to trade in masonry. What is so special about it that both Surya and Süley were reluctant?
- Surya requested agri and I gave in. He was annoying in all my games when he was there, but at the moment I want a good relationship.
- t88 I founded Adulis in a spot closer and better suited than last time.
- Mansa, who founded Confucianism, sent a missionary to Surya's cap Yasodharapura. Surya immediately converted. I believe the mssionary was the one whom you get for free when you found a religion.
- All my cities now have a warrior for +1 happiness. Ok, Debre will have soon because after Addis' border expansion my SW fogbuster got jobless.
- All nine FP around my cap and slightly beyond are cottaged and worked. In addition I'm running 3-4 scientists due to ample food surplus. It is amazing how smoothly your basic concept works: developing my empire by means of helper cities to aid my cap on its way to a bureau cap.
- I mistakenly farmed a grassland river tile instead of building a cottage and lost some turns in effect. Connecting iron is in progress. After its completion I will go for a few swords/axes.
- I was able to trade in wheat for fur with Mansa and could further increase my happiness cap. Thus my cities can still grow. But why was Mansa willing to trade in a happiness ressource for a health ressource?
- Fogbusting becomes less important as my empire expands. The region N/NW of Adulis looks still suspicious to me. But the only other remaining fogbuster moved east of Adulis.
Does the 5x5 square fogbusting rule only apply to units or to cultural border tiles, too?
Observations and future plans
- It appears to me that Mansa is shafted terrain-wise. A small to medium area mixed of tundra/plains/grassland. Currently he owns four cities and has 6-7 skirmishers. Main ressources are three crabs and four furs. He has iron.
- What the heck is Surya doing all the time? He has much better land and good potential, mainly forested grassland, but poorly developed. Only one of three clams have got a workboat, forests are not chopped, although he knows BW from early on. Surya claimed agri from me not until t92. He has just 2-3 huts commerce-wise. He has at least six (valuable) calendar ressources, unworked. But what is he doing? Teching math, which took him an eternity, then switched to construction, which will take him even longer. He has some jungle tiles (the equator is near). He is missing IW and calendar, which would be on the top of my priority tech list. Maybe I missed such things ín my previous games, but this is plain stupid and an invitation to his rivals.Surya owns 5 cities and has some axes, a pike and several archers.
- Next foundation of a city is close, N of Akulis. I'm pretty unsure about the exact spot. Riverside/fresh water vs iron, coastal vs non coastal, number of FP, number of forests to chop. I believe health will not be an issue for some time due to all my health ressources, therefore I'm inclined to settle 3N1W of Akulis.
- The next but one city will eventually be fish city N of the horse.
- Tech-wise I would go for CoL (cheap courthouses, spying), CS (bureaucracy), Monarchy (happiness by MP, wine). But would the GL be worth to consider? I'm pretty sure that I can trade for CoL with Mansa.
- I'd like to establish a trade route to Surya as well, but – as lymond has pointed out – we are still not close enough, and along the coastline there are two obstacles: the barb city, which I intend to attack medium term with two swords and a backup unit, and a fogged cape S of my empire, which is not accessible due to mountains. I ponder on sending a workboat along the southern coastline, but I fear a barb trireme.
- After I saved my game I glanced one turn further and met Louis the fourteenth, the founder of Buddhism, at two spots. Near Mansa and at Surya. Mansa and Louis are already arch enemies, so I will stay out of his way, because I don't want to spoil my relationship to Mansa. But I was baffled that I was already at a solid -3 with Louis, because I traded with his worst enemy Mansa. But that happened two turns before I met Louis. How can that be?
- Last point: I wonder how to assess all these plain tiles after chopping. Is there a useful improvement medium term beside farming them for chaining irrigation after CS? Should I cottage them until I'll run out of food surplus? Much later with biology there shouldn't be a problem, maybe in combination with communism, but then it would be a pity to tear down all these cottages-villages.
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